Light My Candle
by JateLostLove
Summary: This is a story about the basic chaos of Seattle Grace Hospital..along with other things. The surgeons' personal lives will eventually wind their way into the story. Story takes place after the interns that we all know and love are residents. Bad Summary.
1. The Good Of The Bad

**Light My Candle**

A Grey's Anatomy Story

Chapter 1- The Good of the Bad

In dedication of Ashley Lantry

Written by Teryn Gray

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_**Surgeons. We wake up, go to work, start rounds, we perform surgeries in the ER or get stuck in the pit, go home, sleep for a few hours, then start all over again. We don't just deal with our problems, but our patients'. Their problems interact with our own, until we are unsure which is of greater importance.**_

She didn't understand. She needed to get out of that room. She flicked her red hair out of her icy blue eyes and shoved her clipboard at the nearest intern as she ran out of the room. Within minutes she found herself slumped against the wall in a near-by on call room. Her face was hidden behind her baby-soft, manicured hands, as her body shook with the sobs that had overcome her that felt like a physical wound. Her red heels slid under the bed when she kicked them off in frustration, anger, and sadness. She didn't know where this was coming from, she was confused. She had to sit and think about the days events, from the very beginning, to find out what had happened.

_(Earlier that day)_

She looked down at her shoes as they clopped, running across the parking lot toward the hospital doors. She held an umbrella above her head as she ran. Like always, it was raining in Seattle. She threw off her coat in the locker room, put on her navy blue scrubs, and went to the ER. There she found that she was not needed by anyone yet. She returned to the main wing.

"Addison!" A gruff voice had shouted from some feet away.

She turned in the direction the voice had come from. It was Mark. Fan-friggin-tastic.

"What?" Addison spoke with a harsh tone that hit Mark like daggers.

"Oh, come on. Why do you have to be so… rude?" Mark chose his words carefully.

"Listen, I've got an appointment with a patient. If it's really that important, you can talk to me later." Addison said before rushing off in a hurry. Mark sighed in sympathetic disappointment.

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"Hello Kristy. Ready for your ultrasound?" Addison spoke to a girl who looked about in her twenties, along with her husband.

Kristy nodded.

"Right this way then." Addison responded as she walked toward an open room.

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Kristy lay perched on the edge of the hospital bed, eyeing the new interns like a falcon watching her prey. Addison cocked her head to the side when she noticed this.

"Kristy, is there something wrong? Are my interns bothering you?" Addison asked, unsure of the look on Kristy's face. In fact- she was scared of it.

Kristy seemed to come out of a trance. "Oh, uh- no. It's just- well, is it mandatory for them to be present?"

"Well that's up to you. This is a learning hospital, but I can send them away if you like." Addison said, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. This was probably the hundredth time she had said it since she moved to Seattle.

"_Why can't people just accept things the way they are? Oh, nice Addison – coming from you. You can't even stay alone with Derek for a day without fighting." _Addison had many thoughts zooming through her mind, but most of were on Derek and hers most recent fight. "_Why was everything so complicated?_"

"No, uh, it's okay. They can stay, to learn." Kristy replied, bringing Addison out of her thoughts. Kristy's husband nodded in agreement.

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"Ok, this is going to be cold." Addison informed Kristy as she squeezed the cold aqua gel onto Kristy's protruding stomach.

"Alright. Let's see." Addison continued as she moved the sensor around her stomach while watching the monitor. "Looks good… There's the head and-" Addison stopped mid-sentence as she came across a large spot on the screen.

Kristy, curling her head upward toward the direction of Addison's face, said "Dr. Montgomery? What- what is it?" Kristy's voice wavered a bit.

However, Addison did not respond to Kristy, but directed her words at the other interns present in the room. "We need an ER room." Addison added sharply, "Now!" The interns scurried out of the room, while Addison busied herself paging Dr. Alex Karev.

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"What happened?!?" Alex asked hurriedly as he rushed up beside Kristy on the rolling hospital bed, who was being pushed into immediate surgery.

"A large membranous sac has developed in her uterus, next to the baby. It looks like it might have blood flow." Addison said, pushing the rolling bed through the ER doors.

"A cyst? Well how big are we talking?" Alex asked curiously and, of course, for medical reasons.

"About 16 inches." Addison said as they set the bed into place. She was waiting for Alex's reaction.

"16? With possible blood flow?! Addison, you know removing it could lead to-" Alex started, astounded, only to be cut off by Addison.

"Yes, I know. But we need to get this done now before we lose her and her baby."

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Kristy was out and lying, uterus cut open, in surgery. Addison and Alex were moving their skilled surgical hands, holding various tools and changing them within seconds. Many doctors surrounded them, some reading monitors and recording them on charts, others helping gauze the blood. Addison moved swiftly, each second asking for something new like "scalpel", "suction", or "Tenaculum forceps". Things seemed to be going well, but these surgeons were too experienced to get hope, yet. They were working around the baby, trying to keep the baby's and mother's vitals strong. Thoughts of Derek and Addison's fight came into her mind. Thoughts of how Derek had said that there would be no making up that time. '_Did he mean it?'_ Addison wondered. Some of the onlookers were starting to become relaxed. That was before a fast beeping echoed throughout the room.

"We need blood!" Addison shouted, her words for no one in particular.

Someone rushed off to grab some more bags of blood and hook them up to the gauges. Doctors from all sides were pushing forward trying to gauze the open uterus or suction the blood. At that moment all thoughts of the fight, Derek, and everything else was pushed to the back of Addison's mind. All that mattered now was getting the woman out of surgery alive, to return back to her husband. '_And hopefully stay together without fighting for the rest of their lives._' Addison thought.

The beeping started to slow, but Kristy had lost a lot of blood. They hooked up some of the new blood sacs, which started to drip slowly into her blood stream. Addison, Alex, and everyone else in the operating room waited for a few seconds when finally Addison said, "Ok, lets finish this surgery."

The spectators backed away toward the walls while the surgeons moved forward to continue the surgery. They were going to finish taking out that cyst. As they reached the cyst everyone became tense. They moved aside some muscle to reveal the large cyst. People gasped in horror, or maybe it was shock, Addison did not know. She took a sharp intake of breath and the look on Alex's face was revolting. Looking up, Addison saw his expression, and then remembered the task at hand.

"It's terrible isn't it?" Addison spoke quietly.

"Just that she had to carry this around is bad enough, but that no one caught this earlier?" Alex replied in almost disbelief.

Addison nodded. They had to be careful now. She had lost more blood than expected earlier, and she was about to lose much more. "_1, 2, 3, 4, 5." _Addison thought. Whenever she was nervous or scared, she just let herself be for 5 seconds then the fear was gone. She took a deep breath and made the first incision in the cyst.

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"Dr. Montgomery! How is she? How did the surgery go? Did you get it all out? What- what about the baby? Are they _ok_?" Kristy's husband, Ryan urged Addison to speak. He had a pleading look in his eyes. Addison was reminded of a young child imploring for a candy treat.

"Mr. Romero, you need to calm down. Kristy is fine, the baby is fine, the surgery went well, but we didn't take the cyst out." Addison spoke slowly and softly. _"He's scared for his wife, not retarded, you idiot." _Addison silently reminded herself. She could have sworn there was a second voice in her head that was not entirely her own.

"Didn't- didn't take it out?" Ryan spoke. There was a crease in between his eyebrows that showed his confusion. "I thought that's why she had the surgery!" He was getting slightly angry now.

"Well, the cyst was feeding nutrients to the baby. It was taking the regular nutrients from Kristy's food and strengthening them for the baby. Therefore, the baby might be early, but will be fully-grown and most likely not need any special treatment. This is very uncommon and extraordinary. She was very lucky. In most cases like these many women have months of recovery and some don't make it. You can go see her now." Addison finished with finality.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Dr. Montgomery." Ryan said ecstatically as he ran off behind a nurse showing him to his wife.

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(_Back to present time)_

Addison heard a creak of the door. She shot her head upward. Mark had walked in on her moping. She quickly wiped away the salty tears away from her face with the back of her hands.

"I- oh, uh I can go away if you want." Mark suggested unsurely.

Addison gave the slightest twitch of a smile. "Mark, please, you will never go away. You're like a disease that follows me wherever I go." She said sarcastically.

"Well, you look like you could use someone to talk to." Mark said, throwing the idea into the blue.

"As long as you keep it to talking." Addison said with a smile. Then, she patted the spot on the floor next to her.

Mark laughed with a mischievous smile. He walked over to the spot designated by Addison, and sat down, stretching his legs out. Addison started to talk to him, starting at Derek and Addison's fight and through the whole day. _"Will it ever end?" _Addison wondered desperately to herself.

Probably not.


	2. Too Much Of A Good Thing

**Light My Candle**

A Grey's Anatomy Story

Chapter 2- Too Much of a Good Thing

Dedicated to Ashley Lantry

Written by Teryn Gray

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_**Everyone has bad days. Everyone has good things that cheer us up; comfort foods, work, or say… overactive cooking. So, when we do have a bad day, we crave those good things. We throw ourselves into these things and soak them up. But, when those good things wear off and we are chucked back into reality, we are left with one heck of a mess.**_

They were all standing around the nurses' desk. The atmosphere around them gave everyone the feeling they were tired and irritant. But, you know, the bags under their eyes and the coffee cups in their hands couldn't have given it away. They were supporting their heads with their hands and their eyes held blank stares.

Finally Izzie spoke. She asked Meredith, "So, Meredith- how was your date with McSteamy last night?"

Her words attracted awkward looks. George choked on the gulp of coffee he had just swallowed. Cristina, bemused, looked at Meredith.

"So, now you're with McDreamy and McSteamy?" She asked with sarcasm and amusement. Izzie realized what she had said.

"I'm sorry Meredith! I- I'm just so- so tireeeed." She said with a large yawn.

They had worked a straight 48 shift. Tons of surgeries, a few patients in the clinic, and some minor injuries in the pit consumed the hours spent.

"It's ok Izzie, don't worry about it. And it was fine." Meredith replied, her voice holding no emotion.

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"_Beep! Beep! Beep, beep, beeeep!" _Callie's pager went off. She picked it up and turned it around to make out the tiny _911 ER_ words on the screen. She stood up and walked out of the workroom. She had been doing paperwork because she was having trouble keeping up with the stress from becoming Chief Resident.

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Miranda rushed into the ER, feet bustling along the slick hospital floors. She stumbled backward a few paces when she rammed into someone. As she re-gathered and balanced herself she looked up and her eyes focused on Callie who looked like she was in just as much of a hurry as Miranda was.

"Doctor Bailey! Doctor Torres!"

Miranda and Callie whipped their heads around and they saw Meredith pushing a boy in on a stretcher. A woman who was most likely the boy's mother was scurrying alongside stroking the boy's dirty blond hair out of his tanned and lightly freckled face. Tears were leaking out of his emerald green eyes. There was a gash running along the right side of his lower chest. Callie rushed up beside the rolling stretcher, while Miranda politely placed a hand on the boy's mother's shoulder.

"You need to come over here with me to fill out so paperwork." Dr. Bailey said to the shaken up mother.

As the stretcher was being pushed past the ER doors, the little 6-year old boy turned his baby doll-like face around to face his mother.

"Mommy!" He screamed.

He must have thought that he was being taken from his mom because the piercing sound could be referred to a heart breaking.

With tears leaking out of her large eyes that were filled with worry she glanced at her son, then back at Miranda and nodded her head. Dr. Bailey led her off in the direction of the waiting room. But the mother couldn't help taking a last desperate glance at her son as she walked into the next room.

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"Mrs. Goldstein, how did Anthony get this cut?" Dr. Bailey asked the worried mother who was sitting in a chair in the waiting room.

She moved her hands away from her face, then looked up at Miranda. She took an intake of breath and started to speak. "He, uh, he fell out of a tree- in the backyard." The words seemed to stumble out of her mouth.

"Mrs. Goldstein, we found various cuts and bruises on Anthony that our tests show were not from falling out of that tree." Miranda spoke softly, because with past patients, parents could never take this easily. "This woman behind me, Alicia Spinnet, she's with child services and she needs to ask you a few questions regarding Anthony." Dr. Bailey said, motioning over her shoulder.

"What? I don't _abuse_ my son! I love Anthony! He- he just p-plays rough!" Katie Goldstein jumped up and told Miranda, while clutching at her chest.

"I understand completely, Katie. It's just a precaution. Once you're done, you can wait for Anthony." Miranda explained to Mrs. Goldstein.

Katie Goldstein nodded while dabbing her eyes with her sleeve. As Dr. Bailey walked away, Alicia Spinnet approached Katie Goldstein.

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"Dr. Torres, is there any pre-surgery preparations that need to be done?" A plump, middle-aged nurse asked Callie.

"Just tell Dr. Grey to put some hydrogen peroxide on the cut to clean it out." Callie replied.

"Uhmmm…. Dr. Torres?" The nurse questioned hesitantly.

"What?" Callie snapped back, being tired and stressed.

"Well, it's just- well, which Dr. Grey?" The nurse spoke, clearly confused.

"Little Grey, the- uh, the intern." Callie said before nodding slightly and walking off back to her paperwork - in the peace and quiet.

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"What happened!?!" Callie shouted.

Her shout was more like a whisper over the deafening noise of beeping machines and doctors shouting instructions.

"He's gone into a hypovolemic shock!" The nurse from before bellowed as she scurried by Callie, her arms laden with bags of surgical water.

"Where's Grey!?!" Callie's holler went around the room surprisingly loud.

"Right here, Callie!" Meredith put her hand up in the air and motioned to Callie, before putting it back down to continue to try to stabilize the boy.

"Not you, I meant Lexie!" Callie replied, her voice was becoming hoarse and raspy.

"I'm… um… right here, Dr. Torres." Lexie replied, somewhat quietly, from a corner of the room.

Lexie may have been Meredith's sister and passed all the tests on the long and winding road to becoming a surgeon so far, but she seemed to become very unsure of herself when unexpected things happened. Callie knew Lexie could very well become an excellent surgeon, but she just needed to push herself to go to that level.

"What did you do?" Callie practically screamed, the strain evident in her voice.

"I just put some hydrogen peroxide on the cut! I was told to do that." Lexie told Callie, with urgency.

Her words stumbled and she made hand gestures with each word. It was apparent that she was thinking she had done something wrong.

"Yeah, I told her to tell you that! But is that all you did?" Callie bawled at Lexie.

Hurriedly, Lexie nodded her head.

Callie gave a huge sigh before running her hand through her dark hair. As she rushed out of the room she shouted over her shoulder, "Try to get him stable! I'll be back!"

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Callie was rushing around each corner looking for Miranda. "This is getting useless." She thought as she looked around what felt like the 100th corner.

"Dr. Torres! Where have you been? That boy went into shock and where were you?" Miranda had reprimanded Callie, walking up from behind her.

"I was there. I was looking for you. Listen, I don't know what happened, except we put some hydrogen peroxide on the cut to clean it out." Callie replied all in one breath. She stood clutching the sharp stitch in her side, breathing heavily.

After Callie had said that, Miranda had gotten an idea as to what was going on amidst all the usual hospital chaos.

"Follow me!" Miranda stated simply as she turned in the other direction and shuffled away. Callie trailed behind, running too keep up. She had not been ready for the sudden movement made by Miranda.

They continued to speed walk through the hospital's various wings and levels. Finally they arrived at the waiting room where Katie Goldstein was slumped in a hospital chair, head held up by her hand. Her stare openly showed defiance and sorrow.

"Mrs. Goldstein!" Miranda barely managed to form the words, with vigor.

"Hello." Katie replied, not moving her eyes away from where they were focused. "This Seattle weather is very depressing. You know?" Her voice sounded like her thoughts were somewhere else, somewhere very distant.

"Mrs. Goldstein, when Anthony received his past cuts and scratches did you put hydrogen peroxide on them?" Miranda spoke with purpose, while Callie stood behind and slightly to the side of her, clueless as to what Dr. Bailey was doing.

"Well, yes I did, actually. That's what you're supposed to do, it cleans the cut." Mrs. Goldstein replied, apparently, having come out of her 'trance'.

"Mrs. Goldstein you're going to have to wait her for an update!" Miranda shouted as she turned and rushed away, leaving Katie Goldstein looking confused and a bewildered Callie running behind.

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The door to the OR slammed open as Meredith hustled in while tying her surgical mask over her scrub cap.

"What's going on? I just got the page!" Meredith said as she walked up next to Miranda and Callie.

Anthony was lying, passed out, on the operating table. His head was turned flat against the cold metal surface and his blonde hair was sitting atop his closed eyes.

"We're to have to drain his system. He has been exposed to an excessive amount of hydrogen peroxide." Miranda said while slipping into her sterile surgical gloves. "Get me a suction tube."

After a half an hour of surgery Callie finally spoke.

"It must stink, right? I mean this kid loves to play and kids do play rough, but he gets the short end of the stick." Callie said while holding the tube at a 90-degree angle to reach under a layer of tissue.

"Well do we know the child services' decision on Anthony's injuries yet?" Meredith asked, looking up questionably.

"No. They say they want to interview Anthony first." Miranda answered Meredith's question. Callie sighed.

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Miranda and Callie approached Kate Goldstein. The sound of their footsteps alerted Katie of their arrival. She turned her head away from the window to face them. The bags under her eyes indicated that she was sleep deprived.

"Mrs. Goldstein, we're so, so sorry. We did everything we could." Callie told her sorrowfully.

Katie started to sob. She raised a shaking hand to her face and covered her mouth while salty tears trickled down to the point of her nose.

"I- don't u-understand what ha-p-pened." Katie sobbed. "It was just- just a cut."

Miranda and Callie lowered their heads in respect.

Meanwhile, above, Meredith and Cristina sat, looking upon the sight.

"It's a tragedy, right? The boy gets hurt and his mom thinks she helping him by putting this supposedly healing medicine on him and it ends up killing him. It's sad, right?" Meredith said looking down at the sobbing mother.

"Eh, it's Torres' fault." Cristina replied in a so-what sort of way. Cristina never grasped the whole bedside manner part of being a doctor.

"Cristina!" Meredith scolded.

"What? She should've checked to at least see if the boy was allergic to the stuff." Cristina stated. "You know what, no. Actually it's the company's fault. They don't promote that kind of stuff. Sure it's on the back in- what- size 5 font? That doesn't help. They need to tell people that this thing can kill someone, especially a kid."

_**Seriously. Good things are nice to have around, like a good friend or that ice cream that gets you through a break up. But humanity wasn't created like that. Comfort items are meant to take away the shock of the problem before you solve it. So, if you keep using that good thing forever, the problem never gets solved, and as a result we ourselves can go into shock. That is the true tragedy of mankind.**_


	3. Too Little, Too Late

**Light My Candle**

A Grey's Anatomy Story

Chapter 3- What Goes Around Comes Around

Especially for Ashley's 13th Birthday

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_**When people invented everything we have in this world today, they all said it would solve just one more problem of the human race. But they don't solve problems… they procrastinate them. As surgeons, we can only procrastinate so long before it can result in something unnecessary and unwanted.**_

"I don't wanna go in today." The shorthaired brunette mumbled as she flipped over.

"But you have to, Lex! Today they're observing interns handling real patients! I can't go in alone and I won't let you miss the fun! Now come on and get up!" The bubbly blonde replied looking wide-awake for someone who had 5 hours of sleep the previous night.

"Briiiiaaannnnaaa…" Lexie groaned as she flipped over, the feather pillow molding around the form of her head.

"Up! Ted's already making breakfast, although I don't know how tasty it will be, seeing as he's half asleep." Brianna gushed before turning around and bounding out of the doorway. Her long silvery-blonde hair whipped out of sight just as Lexie forced herself to sit up.

Lexie rubbed her temples, wondering how it was possible that Brianna had woken up Ted and managed to convince him to make breakfast.

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The resident's locker room door burst open and 18 pairs of navy blue pant legs strode out. The lingering interns were leaning lazily against the opposite wall snapped up straight, their necks, backs, and legs in a perfect line. Compared to the timid young training doctors, the residents looked like heroes, not that they weren't already; saving lives and all.

Dr. Bailey face bore her usual tight, thin frown as she stood facing the gap in between the interns and residents. She sighed and addressed the interns, "Now, the ratio for today is going to be one attending or resident for every intern. You will each be assigned a patient that comes in today, in no particular order. The chief and I will not be participating, as we will be supervising and taking care of additional patients." She turned on her heel and faced the residents. "Residents," she eyed them closely, "shall not interfere unless the interns ask for help or the patient is dieing." She rolled her eyes back to the interns that looked alert, hiding their actual fear. "And I suggest you don't let it get to that point or you might very well be kicked out of the program."

Lexie glanced to the side at Brianna who looked beside herself with excitement, rocking on the balls of her feet. Lexie returned her gaze to her feet, the truth being she was very nervous.

Miranda Bailey went on, looking down at her clipboard, "Dr. Shepherd, you will be with Ted Lenant, Dr. Torres with John Bauer, Dr. Grey, you will please be with Lexie Grey, Dr. Yang with Brianna Abbot, Dr. Karev with Leila Fields, Dr. Sloan, you will be with Jennifer Fox, Dr. Stevens you will please go along with Carrie Shultz, and Dr. Montgomery you will tag along with George O'Malley. All right now each attending has their interns assignment. Now off you go and you better hope I don't see you until you have found a cure for your patient." Dr. Bailey finished and tuned, walking back into the locker room, Dr. Webber following in her wake.

The interns and the residents merged together. Brianna was all but skipping towards an extremely miserable looking Cristina.

Lexie was glancing around nervously while Meredith said, "Hi Lexie. Good Luck." Before looking over at the other pairs.

Derek was already walking away, chatting conversationally with Ted. Meanwhile, Izzie and Carrie were shaking hands heartily. Or really, Izzie was shaking Carrie's hand.

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"Courtney Bade, 23, consistent patient. She came in after a roller skating accident. We're here to see the damage. Go ahead." Derek finished and nodded Ted into the door.

Ted walked in and gazed at the girl lying in the hospital bed with fiery red hair. "Hello Courtney, I'm Dr. Lenant. I will be conducting some tests to see how much damage was actually done by the accident." He finished in his light, cheerful, ringing tones. He flashed small, but warm smile.

Courtney did nothing but nod slightly and lie her head back down on the overstuffed, plastic covered pillow.

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"Where is she?" Lexie questioned, looking around the unoccupied hospital room.

"I don't know. But she has a severe ankle brake that went into her anterior tibialis, so she couldn't have gone far." Meredith responded sounding very baffled.

A loud crack sounded throughout the tiled room. A great rush of crystal-clear, biting cold water poured down Meredith's head, dousing her from head to foot. Lexie shrieked and jumped around suddenly before her eyes became wide with incredulity and her mouth was left agape. An amused laughter erupted from the girl that lay, hidden under the hospital bed. She doubled over chuckling, her rounded cheeks turning pink from lack of oxygen. Meredith sputtered as the water leaked off her hair and over her eyes and mouth. She wiped the hair out of her eyes and dabbed her face with her sleeve.

"Um, Lexie do you think you can handle this for now? I need to have one of the nurses clean that up and then I need to, um," she started then looked down at her dripping figure, "get cleaned up."

Lexie nodded and Meredith walked out leaving a trail of the water that had exploded from the bulging balloon. Lexie looked at the young brunette's cheery figure. She tilted her head sideways.

"You seem new to this. It's not the first time I've been to a hospital." The girl added seeing Lexie's confusion to how she knew that she was an intern. "I'm Ashley. And I'm guessing you're the doctor that is here to check out my leg, huh?" She said. "Good thing too, I thought my leg was gonna fall off."

Lexie let out a small amused sigh.

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Derek and Ted were lounging in the result room, waiting for Courtney's MRI's to come back in. The computer beeped and the screen flickered and slowly loaded the x-rays of Courtney's brain.

When the pictures were fully loaded Derek wrinkled his eyebrows and set his eyes. "Ted, can you pull up one of her recent scans before the accident. I would like to compare the two."

"Uh, yea sure thing." Ted replied.

He clicked the mouse intently for a few seconds before the computer beeped again and loaded the scan from before the accident. Derek leaned in toward the computer and Ted stared, interested.

Derek pointed around a small section of the scan more recent of the two. "Ted, can you tell me what you presume this might be, compared to the picture before the crash?" He questioned.

Ted leaned forward and sat, pondering, for a few seconds before concluding, "I would say that the brain is being compressed by some…. type of waste." He said, his brow furrowed, thinking intently. "And this small part of the brain looks… deceased." He finished.

Derek nodded his head slightly. "And what would you advise this could possibly be?" Derek said, being the oh-so-great teacher-surgeon was.

"Well comparing the two, I would say… this is Tay-Sachs." Ted said looking over at Derek.

"I would say you were correct. Now you need to go tell the patient and then we will operate." Derek responded.

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"I'm telling you Lexie's patient is completely, one hundred percent crazy! I was soaked in freezing cold water. And she sat there laughing her head off!" Meredith elaborated to Cristina and Izzie.

"You mean _your _patient." Cristina said.

"No, Lexie's." Meredith countered. "It's the interns job today."

"Interns know nothing. I hate them. So, technically, they're our patients." Cristina replied simply.

"And she moved around and did all of that with her bone _shattered_?!" Izzie asked astounded.

"Yeah, she was hiding under the hospital bed." Meredith said. "Her leg must have been killing her."

"I like her already. She's the best because she can withstand the pain. Why do you get the good patients?" Cristina moaned.

"I already told you, it's Lexie's patient." Meredith spoke.

"Yeah and you know what, what's with the whole sister-like thing? I thought we were hating her?" Cristina replied becoming frustrated with the constant change of emotions.

"Well, I'm trying not to be so dark and twisty all the time." Meredith stated simply.

"Here we go again." Cristina replied dully. "At least you're not stuck with little miss sunshine." She mumbled as an after thought.

"Yeah," Izzie added in, "Well I," She scratched her arm and shrugged her shoulders, "Am itching like crazy."

Meredith and Cristina looked, confused at each other. Then Meredith heard a familiar snicker, but couldn't quite pin point the person that went with the laugh.

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"Courtney, we have the results from your test and some news." Ted replied, somewhat more solemnly than usual.

Derek stood in a corner watching with a small amount of sympathy for Ted, thinking about all the patients he would have to give bad news to in the future.

"Ms. Bade, you have a certain disease called Tay-Sachs." Ted said glumly.

"I – what? What is Tae-sacks?" Courtney asked her face becoming baffled.

"Well Courtney, your brain makes proteins that rid waste from your brain. In your case, your brain, for an unknown reason, has stopped making those proteins. So, your brain has been building up waste and is putting pressure on your frontal lobe." He finished.

Courtney looked befuddled trying to take in all the words that always sounded like a foreign language coming from a doctor's lips.

"I got this from- from the roller skating crash? I was only roller skating." She said. She seemed to be talking more to herself than the other people in the room.

"Well, this disease normally forms naturally from a cell that became mutated. You can never really tell for sure. We caught it early, so we can try to figure this out and take the steps to help you and fix you."

"It's going to be ok, Courtney. You can do this." Derek spoke, emerging from the corner.

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"Ashley, I need to check your leg now. Meredith said that she will be by in a few minutes numb your leg for the..." Lexie looked up from her charts, "…replacement." She finished quietly.

Ashley was nowhere that was obvious to Lexie. Lexie popped her head out of the doorway and saw Meredith filling out some papers at the nurse's station down the corridor.

"Meredith!" She hollered down the hall.

Meredith glanced over and Lexie motioned her over. Meredith set down the papers and walked down the stretch of wall and tile.

"Meredith, she's gone!" Lexie elucidated in a fervent fashion.

"What do you mean gone?" Meredith questioned.

"Ashley. She's not in there. No one has treated her yet, though." Lexie said.

"Ok tell the nurses to look and I'll go and let Bailey know." Meredith instructed.

Lexie nodded her head before the two separated and strode in opposite directions, being headed for different destinations. As the two disappeared from the corridor the young brunette girl peeked around the door slowly. When she realized that the coast was clear she sighed and looked down at her leg.

"Ow…" She whimpered to herself and her swollen, throbbing leg.

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Ted looked down another corridor and found that everyone was bustling around, intent on what he or she was doing. Derek was busy dealing with a few other patients. Ted continued down the hallway gazing into the initially germ-free spaces in each exam room. He finally came across Dr. Bailey looking frantically around.

"Dr. Bailey, I was wondering if someone was going to take care of Courtney Bade, the patient with Tay-Sachs." Ted questioned politely, trying not to disturb whatever it was that she was doing.

"Lenant, I do not have time for this right now, we have a missing **13** year old with a splintered leg. Uhm, go find Shepherd." Bailey said half-mindedly, still looking.

"Yes, but you see he's busy and well I noticed that no one was worrying about her. She need's some help from an experienced surgeon." He replied, eagerly.

"Yes, well we have other things going on right now Lenant," Bailey started, rushing to the door, "But, like I said, if you can find Shepherd he can help." She said exiting the room. As she went to leave she turned back. "Oh, and Ted, if you see the kid, please let someone know." Ted nodded and she went off to find Ashley, while Ted went to find someone for help.

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"Meredith! Lexie! I found her!" Izzie bellowed down the hallway to the frenzied, searching girls.

They jogged down the hall, halting in front of the blonde.

"Where is she?" Meredith asked, trying to catch her breath.

"She was in the cafeteria eating a turkey sandwich." Izzie informed Meredith. "It looked _really_ good." She added as an afterthought, looking down at her hungry stomach,

"Thanks, Iz." Meredith said while starting off toward the cafeteria. "Come on Lexie." She said, motioning her to follow.

"Your welcome." Izzie said in a cheerful, pleased manner, even though the other two girls had already went off. Her grin dropped off her face as her waist became irritated and she had to scratch it.

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Lexie and Meredith burst into the cafeteria to the unsuspecting people's surprise. They tore through the cafeteria, searching around every corner for Ashley. She obviously did not want to be found and she was doing a good job of keeping it that way. As Meredith and Lexie turned around a corner they saw Cristina.

"Cristina! Lexie has something to ask you." Meredith said, stepping aside and nodding to Lexie.

Lexie swallowed and looked at Cristina and Cristina glared back at her.

"Yes, number four?" She spoke bitingly.

Lexie looked taken aback and stuttered as she started to speak. "Have you seen my patient? She's 13, about 5'5 and brunette."

"Lost your patient already have you? Well, I saw her leaving here about fifteen minutes ago. Probably returning to her room for exam, which is where you should be, doing your job. She is doing some serious damage to her leg. If this keeps up, an amputation might be necessary. Anymore questions?" Cristina said sharply.

Lexie shook her head and looked over to Meredith, who said, "Come on."

Lexie started walking out, Meredith following her from behind saying, "See you later. I'm ready for this day to end," to Cristina.

Cristina smirked and began to saunter in the opposite direction. There was a shriek, a thump of body meeting floor, and a spatter of a semi-liquidized substance smacking the ground like rain drops. Meredith whipped around and saw Cristina flat on her back covered many dollops of butterscotch pudding.

Meredith ran over lent her hand to help Cristina gain her balance before asking, "What happened?"

"I tripped over an ice cube, that's what happened! And next thing I know I'm plane on my back, watching a pudding cup plummet all over me!" Cristina said, her face flushed.

"Where'd the pudding come from though?" Meredith queried. She wiped the pudding that had gained access to her hand on the pants of her scrubs.

"I don't know." Cristina responded.

Lexie stood frozen at the doorway, trying unsuccessfully to conceal her grin. There was a whoosh as the doubled cafeteria doors swung shut. Meredith could just barely see chocolate brown hair flash around a corner. Meredith turned to Lexie.

"Come on, Lexie!" Meredith instructed as she began to trot away after the glimpse of hair that had disappeared around the corner.

Lexie followed, leaving Cristina looking stunned, having not noticed the unbodied hair herself.

Meredith and Lexie continued to pursue on their chase before they were brought to a halt from the latter of the two ran into a short bobbed figure.

"I am so sorry!" Lexie said.

The person looked up at the two, her lips in a tight, thin line. Dr Bailey spoke with her prided authority, "What are you two doing, running around in this hospital? Meredith, what is the meaning of this?"

"We have a runaway patient, trying to catch her." She panted while jabbing the air with her finger in the way they had saw the girl take off.

"Well, then what are you doing standing here?! Go get her!" Bailey said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The two younger girls nodded and took off once again.

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Ted entered the OR holding a sanitary mask up to his mouth. An unknown patient was lying on the metal, cushioned operating table. Derek Shepherd was maneuvering his surgical hands with the shining silver scalpel in the upper portion of the patient's head. Derek glanced up, not moving his hands a millimeter.

"Yes, Ted?" He asked, his voice muffled from the surgical mask.

"I was wondering about Courtney Bade's case. When was someone planning on operating to find the source of the mutated cells to replace them?" He asked eagerly.

"I don't know about that, Ted. There are other surgeries already scheduled for today. She might have to be operated on tomorrow." Derek said while returning to his work with the assist of a few nurses.

"But her condition may get worse by then, Dr. Shepherd." Ted replied with sincere concern in his voice.

"I cannot change around the surgical board, Ted. And, as you can see, I cannot do anything for the time being." Derek finished.

"Well WHEN _IS _going to do _something _about it?!?" He shouted, surprising everyone in his presence.

Derek, unaffected by the sudden outburst, said, "I'm going to have to ask you to leave this OR. Now."

Ted looked bewildered and spun around, swung the door open, and marched away. Derek sighed. The sympathy had returned.

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Meredith heaved a sigh of relief as her and Lexie entered Ashley's room. They had caught her at last. Meredith leaned against the door, while her lungs grasped for unstrained breath of air. Lexie relaxed her shoulders and looked a little more at ease. Ashley appeared stunned to have been caught. Meredith reached down and paged a few other residents. Izzie arrived first, then Alex, and followed by Cristina, who had changed into fresh scrubs. They had all previously heard the stories of the young patient that had pulled numerous pranks on practically every doctor throughout the hospital.

Cristina was the first to walk up to Ashley, who was looking down and looking rather guilty.

"Why did you do all this? Your leg needs treatment and by walking on it you have increased the damage profusely." Cristina asked, becoming surprisingly kind.

Ashley mumbled a few words that were barely audible.

"What was that?" Meredith questioned, allowing herself into the conversation.

"I'm afraid of doctors. Ok?! Can you just fix my leg so I can leave." Ashley said showing her more expressive side.

Alex walked forward and leaned toward the girl. "Wait a minute. You're scared of doctors? I'm not scary, am I now?"

Before she had a chance to respond Izzie shoved Alex aside. She spoke to him first. "Yes, you are."

She then directed her words to Ashley. "We can try to fix your leg, honey. But even if we do, you won't be going anywhere for a while. It will require you to stay additional time for recovery." Izzie said in her gentle, caring manner.

Ashley sighed a sigh of understanding.

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The next day when the sky was a brilliant shade of purple and the sun had just sunk below the horizon to sleep Derek approached Ted.

"We could have done something." Ted said without removing his absentminded gaze from the stunningly beautiful sky. "We procrastinated too long."

Courtney had been proclaimed to have departed from this world earlier that day.

Derek exhaled, overtaken with pity for the learning doctor. "Ted, the disease she had is so mysterious and has not been researched in depth that there are only so many things that can be done and it depends on the individual case. As for the procrastinating, yes we could have done more, but as a surgeon you have multiple responsibilities to all of your patients. In your mind, you have to decide which one has the better chance of surviving, and act on that choice. We just can't save all of the people that pass through these doors. Medicine can only take you so far, Ted." Derek finished, his words full of compassion.

Ted nodded. "I think I'm going to Joe's tonight." He said.

"Might I suggest you do not have anything too strong? You have work tomorrow." Derek said knowingly.

Ted nodded and stood up. He left the hospital and entered the Emerald City Bar later.

As for Ashley; no she did not die. She was operated on as soon as the hospital had opened its doors that morning. Her results surpassed expectations and her leg obtained minimal damage. She was currently in the recovery ward and received almost daily visits from her friends, two of which mirrored two doctors that worked in the hospital. Soon she would able to check out of the hospital's care and move independently on her leg.

Meredith and Derek actually went on the postponed weekend vacation, Cristina gained a liking for child patients, the interns received valuable, hands-on training, and Lexie picked up a trick or two, should she ever encounter a time when they would come in handy.


End file.
